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Change Message's Text Background Color in macOS Mail

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By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on July 14, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Email Yahoo! Mail Gmail In the built-in Mail program in macOS, changing an email's background color is easy but not obvious. You have to know where to look. It is located in the Format > Fonts menu when you are composing an email. Rmember the Command+T shortcut to get there fast. Instructions in this article apply to macOS Catalina (10.15) through OS X Mountain Lion (10.8).

Change a Message' s Text Background Color in macOS Mail

Here's how to set the background color of a message you are composing in macOS Mail. You can only change the background color for the entire message. Open a new message in Mail by clicking the Compose New Message button. Select Show Fonts under Format in the menu bar. The keyboard shortcut to show fonts is Command+T. Click Document Color (a document icon) at the top center to the right of the underline, strikethrough, and font color buttons. You have several ways to choose the background color for your message. Color Wheel: Choose first the darkness of color with the bottom slider and then tap on the wheel to select a color. If the slider is too far to the right, you might think you can only choose black. Don't be fooled; you have a full choice of colors. You can use the eyedropper if you want to get a close-up view of the color choices.Color Sliders: Choose the Slider icon and then use the drop-down menu to choose a grayscale slider, RGB sliders, CYMK sliders, and HSB sliders. You will see the percentages change as you move the sliders.Color Palettes: Choose from set palettes including web-safe colors, crayons, "Apple," "Developer," and others.Image Palettes: Choose from a spectrum palette or create a new image palette from a file or the clipboard.Pencils: Choose from colored pencils. This method only changes the background color for a single message. You have to choose again for the next message. Use the Command+T shortcut to get to the Fonts menu.

Choose Colors to Keep Text Legible

When you're playing with document background colors, be sure to select a text color and size that ensures your message text is legible. If you're using a dark background color, for example, you may want to experiment with a light text color. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Change Background Color in Photoshop How to Send Email to Undisclosed Recipients From Gmail How to Change Theme Colors in Google Slides How to Change the Default Font and Size in Outlook How to Change an Email's Background Color in Apple Mail's Inbox How to Insert a Link in an Email With Mac OS X Mail How to Use Text Formatting and Images in Apple Mail Signatures How to Send a Message From a Different Account in OS X Mail How to Continue a Draft in Outlook Mail on the Web How to Add Strikethrough Text in macOS Mail Using Rich HTML in an Outlook.com Signature How to Send iPhone Mail From a Different Account How to Resend a Message in macOS X Mail How to Apply Rubber Stamp Effects in Photoshop Elements 8 Learn to Use Tables and Lists in Apple Mail How to Save and Use Messages as Templates in Apple Mail Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies